You say Aweo, I say Weo! [Basic quiche recipe]

A couple of days ago we joined a few friends for a relaxing brunch on the beach.  Aweoweo Beach Park is one of those places we love we just donʻt make it there very often.  The beach park has clean bathrooms, a dilapidated playground & of course a beautiful view!

 To say Iʻve been a bit scatterbrained lately is probably an understatement.  As I was planning this brunch with friends I had grand ideas of all the delicious things I would make. in the end I had an hour and luckily a refrigerated pie crust and some eggs.  Which means, ta da! Quiche!  Quiche is one of the first foods I learned to make without a recipe and rarely fails me.  You can add whatever you have in the fridge and get a full meal with little prep or actual cooking. 

 A beautiful view of Aweoweo Beach. this is the view from our picnic table so the beach is pretty close to where you can set -up.  My favorite thing since eating food with sand in it is just not fun for anybody, except for maybe my 20 month old that eats sand by the handful. 

 For some reasons there were tons of sea turtles out that day!  I even got to put on the snorkel mask and swim around with them and creepily watch them as they eat limu off the coral reef. 

 Overall another beautiful morning in Hawaii, all of which I am very thankful for!  

Zucchini Bacon Quiche with Goat Cheese and Fresh Basil

1/2 package bacon, any kind works

1 small-medium zucchini, diced

5 large eggs

1 pre-made pie crust, I like Immaculate Bakery

3/4 cup heavy cream, or Whole Milk

Salt & Pepper

6 leaves fresh basil 

Goat Cheese, to taste

• Cook bacon until crisp, crumble and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees 
• Lightly saute zucchini in a little olive oil, just a few minutes, it will continue cooking in oven.
• In a pie dish, unroll pie crust and press firmly into dish so there are no air bubbles.  Crimp edge fancy if you want. 
• Sprinkle cooled bacon and zucchini on top of pie crust.
• In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, cream and salt & pepper.  Pour mixture on top of bacon and zucchini. 
• Cut basil into thin ribbons and sprinkle over egg mixture. 
• Crumble goat cheese on top of edge mixture, use as much or as little as you would like.  
• Bake quiche at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until itʻs no longer jiggly.
• Serve warm or at room temp! 

The Big 5-0! [60 Second Maple Brussel Sprouts]

I can't believe it!

This is already my 50th post. 

My brain is just all over the place right now that I don't even know where to begin or what to say.

  Life has been incredibly hectic lately.  I'm 37 weeks pregnant now, back in college for the first time in 8 years with my first test fast approaching.

I'm doula-ing for 2 Moms, one in the hospital right now actually and 1 being induced in the morning.

Last night I woke up at 3am drove to Mililani to pick up my friend and took her to Kaiser because her husband couldn't be there until later.  When us two VERY pregnant ladies walked into the ER I think the security guard had a mini panic attack. 

Friday, my Dad & Stepmom leave for Alaska and we will be baby-sitting my 7 younger brothers and sisters for 10 days.  Besides all that throw in Christmas Choir, home schooling co-ops, Healthy Marriages mentor program training, 3 kids and the list goes on.

Thank God for my husband.

Without him I would lose my shit daily instead of weekly. ;)

Although this blog doesn't seem to be headed this way I guess what I am TRYING to say is that I am grateful.  I am joyful.  At this point I don't know if I can say I'm too blessed to be stressed but I know it should be true.

And I am amazed.  I always read stories in the Bible or was told by Grandmothers & Sunday School teachers that "God answers prayers."  Sure he does.  Just not mine, right?

I realize this already isn't a Christian way of thinking, but I never said I was perfect.

I am human, I doubt, I don't trust, even in my God.  

Every night and day I would write in my prayer journal or say prayers with Andy regarding Tulip's birth.  I really didn't want to birth in a hospital this time, I got my hippie heart set on a home birth but of course since insurance wouldn't cover it it just didn't seem likely.  It bothered me, I didn't know what to do and honestly we couldn't really do anything but pray.  For God to show us what is right for our family.  And even at 36 weeks I wasn't really panicking that really, we had nothing figured out.

Then one of the Moms I met at the Birth Rally last week messaged me.  She told me I should message a midwife in Makaha who ran a birthing home.  So I did.  And God answered our prayers.

I met with her for the first time last week and she was just so kind and open to us.  She literally JUST opened her birth home a few weeks ago after moving from San Francisco.  Bay area represent!

If all goes well I will be the first person to deliver there.  She's already teaching me a little midwife stuff and finally at 37 weeks pregnant I feel ready for this little girl!

[The Turtle Cove behind my Midwife's house that I get to labor at.]

So now I get to be one of those people that walks around and says "God answers prayers" 

and even better, I actually believe it. <3

And now for food!  

Brussel Sprouts are one of my favorite veggies and my Midwife even told me I needed to eat more! 

So I'm trying.  It helps when I cook yummy things and even better if they're fast, easy, & tasty.

60 Second Maple Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts

Maple Syrup

Salt 

Pepper

Olive Oil

[1] Cut the stems off your brussel sprouts and thinly slice.

[2] In a pan over medium high heat, add olive oil.

[3] Add your brussel sprouts and season with salt & pepper to taste.

[4] Cook about 60 seconds until sprouts are just wilted and soft.  

[5] Add 1 tbs. of Maple Syrup and done!

This is a super easy recipe to adjust bigger or smaller, that's why I didn't do too many measurements.

I only made about 1/2 lb. so I added less than a tbs. of Maple Syrup.  

Like anything in cooking, taste as you go! 

Why is she so happy?

In the past few weeks I've had two different people comment on how happy I look.  

One was a visiting Priest from Florida who talked to me after service and said "There's the happy drummer!" and the other was a new friend who's Mom had seen a picture I posted on Facebook and said to her "Your friend looks so happy!"

These should be compliments right?  So I don't know my first thought is embarrassment?  Why is it so bad for me to be happy?  To show how happy I am in my demeanor, the way I act and talk?  

It bothered me that I thought this and kind of worried me, my old habits tell me that happiness doesn't last, if you're too happy it's basically tempting fate to screw with you a bit and make sure it doesn't happen again.  

Maybe its a happiness I have finally found in God.  Its a lightness of burdens I don't have to carry anymore.  My instincts tell me I shouldn't be happy because not everyone is, but happiness takes work for sure, it is something given to us and I CHOOSE to be happy.  To see the good in my situation instead of the complaints.  To do what I need to do to make things better if they're bothering me.  

I choose to live a life thats low on funds but big on time.  

Time with my husband, time with my kids, time to learn, time to teach, time to birth babies, 

and even....sometimes.....time by myself!

That's not to say I never get depressed, angry or upset about things in my life. But I am trying to learn that I can be ok with being happy, that it doesn't mean that I think Im better than someone else.  My happiness is for myself and not to prove anything.  I have no reason to fake my emotions, no one to impress and I have found that living my life the way I feel God is calling me to just naturally makes me a happier person.  Less guilt.  Less anger.  Less wanting for things of this world.

More joy.  More peace.  More love.

And one day I hope, that one that I can't quite get a hold on yet....more forgiveness. 

We started working on a Character Building book with the kids during homeschooling and today's lesson was about being content.  I think a big part of being happy is simply being happy with what YOU have and not comparing it to what others have and what they need to be happy.

I have what I need to be happy.  It might be less than others, it might be more.  

But there should be no shame in happiness, hopefully soon I can believe that myself. <3

5 Simple Things That Make Me Happy

1.  Outside after it rains.

2.  New cleaning products, I bought some Bon Ami Citrus Thyme spray today. Woo-hoo!

3. Sleeping children.

4. A kiss from my husband.

5. My blog. 

And so of course, a recipe!  Food makes me happy.  Oh yes it does.  

Until recently I would consider myself a cook much more than a baker but the weight I am gaining this pregnancy proves that I eat more than enough of both food & baked goods!  

Creamy Polenta w/Mushroom & Sausage Ragu

and Roasted Asparagus

Polenta:

1 cup Polenta

1 cup milk

5 cups water

1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Salt to Taste

[1] Boil the water & milk.  When it comes to a boil add your polenta.

[2] Stay close!  Whisk your polenta, it will thicken quickly.  Reduce heat to medium-low.

[3] Keep whisking, allow Polenta to soak up liquids.  It doesn't need to be constantly stirred but keep an eye on it!  Do this for about 20 minutes.

[4] Once Polenta has absorbed all the moisture add your cream & butter.

Whisk for another 5 minutes.

[5] Add Parmesan & salt to taste.  Sooo creamy and good.  Tip: Not low calorie. ;)

Ragu:

1/2 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

2 mild Italian sausages, out of their cases

1 cup sliced Crimini mushrooms

1/4 cup Red Wine

Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

Crushed Red Pepper

[1] Take sausage out of their casings by cutting a slit down the side and squeezing the meat out.  Fun!

[2] Brown sausage in olive oil on medium heat.  Cook until sausage is fully cooked, break it apart with a spoon as you go.

[3] Add mushrooms to pan and let them brown.  I like a good golden color on my mushroom so use a decent sized pan so they don't just steam.

[4] Pour in your spaghetti sauce & red wine.  Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer while you cook your polenta.

Roasted Asparagus:

1 lb. asparagus woody stems removed

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

[1] Lay asparagus on a baking sheet.

[2] Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt & pepper to taste.

[3] Cook in a 375 degree oven until doneness you prefer.  About 15-20 minutes.  

I like my tips charred but asparagus not too soggy.

Assemble & eat!  

Brave Review & Yogurt Avocado Dip

Took Lily & 3 of my younger sisters to see Brave today.

And I must say I was pleasantly surprised!  It was so good, and I am not one for kid's movies in the slightest.  If we ever attempt to watch one together at home I end up getting up about 20 minutes into it to start cleaning the kitchen or something, I just can't focus that well on what I feel is "kid stuff."

I can barely focus on adult stuff so I guess thats a whole different story.

I really had no idea what the story was about, just that she was a little red-headed archer who liked to get into trouble.  Little did I know that it was a perfect Mother/Daughter movie and was so happy that I got to take Lily to see it.  We've been having some screaming matches lately, which I do admit start on my end and maybe she's just now getting old enough to be able to yell back.  My short-fuse is something I struggle with everyday and I hate the fact that my kids will come to know that about me.  

I am constantly praying for patience and restraint, my weakness being taken out on my children never feels good. 

It was a great wake up call, and being pregnant & hormonal didn't help add to the dramatics of it all.  But I am truly blessed to have such a loving, spunky, kind, and yes, brave daughter.

The story was cute & presented in a way that I liked.  Neither the mother or daughter were in the wrong but each had a different way of thinking & were in a different place in their lives.  In the end all that mattered was the love they had for one another.  

It will definitely be one we buy, Pixar never seems to fail!  

[My happy crew after the movie!  They loved it!]

And now for the food!  This recipe doesn't really tie into the movie at all but the color did remind me of all the beautiful scenery in Scotland.  Either way, it would make a great movie snack....if you can just find a way to sneak it in.  

Yogurt Avocado Dip

adapted from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 ripe avocados

1 jalapeño

1 small handful cilantro

2 cloves of garlic

Juice of 2 limes

Cumin, Salt & Pepper to taste

I used our Ninja for this but a blender or food processor works the same!

[1] Peel & seed avocados.  Add to blender with Greek yogurt.

[2] Roughly chop jalapeño, cilantro & garlic.  Add to blender.

[3] Blend on high until everything is blended & smooth.

[4] Season to your taste with lime juice, salt, pepper & cumin!  

Serve chilled with pita chips.

Side note:  If you don't like spicy you can omit or seed the jalapeño.  We love spicy in our house so I did not! 

M is for Mango.

I don't know how this happened but we somehow ended up with mangoes all over our house recently.

Bags of them, bowls of them, the house smelled like ripe mangoes.

It was awesome......for me anyways.

 Andy remembered a little too late how allergic he is to mango tree sap and licked a bunch of the skins when he was peeling them for me and ended up with a bad allergic reaction all over his face for like a week.  Sorry babe. 

This could basically be an ode to mangoes cause I really do love them, growing up with my VERY Filipino grandparents for awhile it was like an apple to us.  I have fond memories of my Grandpa sitting at his kitchen table watching The Price is Right, chewing on a mango seed & eating rice or fish. 

I also have not so fond memories of my Grandma comparing me to a sack of rice while shopping for a prom dress, but that's just how Filipino she is.  

Both in insults and the fact that, that is what she would choose to compare me to.  

I love mangoes cold, as I do all fruit, room temperature fruit is just not my thing. 

My daughter loves dried mango and my Mom loves Mango-a-Go-Gos from Jamba Juice.

So many happy memories all from a humble fruit, which I also happen to think are one of the prettiest inside and out. I'm eagerly awaiting our trip to the Philippines next year to learn more about my family, cause I know there's more to us than mangoes & mah-jong right? 

So when all these mangoes came around we cut a bunch up to freeze for smoothies or just to eat frozen, so yummy.  I made a batch of Mango Cupcakes with Dulce De Leche frosting for my friend's birthday and this mango salsa.  It was the clear winner of the 3 and I never write up savory [ish] recipes and this is my own creation so I'm pretty proud of it.

This is a really easy recipe, just lots of chopping required but it's great for the Summer.

A little spicy, a little sweet.  Just like my Grandpa Pete.

Piccolo Pete's Mango Salsa

2 Limes

2 Jalapeños

1 red onion

3 mangoes 

[I know, there are 2 in the picture but I ended up using more.  Geez.]

1 small handful cilantro

Sea Salt

[1] Peel and dice mangoes, put into large bowl.

[2] Cut the ends off the onion, dice small.  Add to bowl.

[3] Cut ends off jalapeños and remove seeds if you want it less spicy, I kept mine in.

Dice small.  Wash your hands.  With soap.

[4] Add jalapeños to bowl.  Cut limes in half and squeeze juice of both into bowl.

[5] Chop cilantro and add to bowl.  Season with salt to taste and toss!

Serve with tortilla chips, on fish tacos, whatever!

This is a good one to make the day before too cause as it sits it gets better. 

See.  Lots of chopping, and a baby bump.

The finished product!  I think everything looks nicer in a Mason jar. 

It's a Girl Raspberry Blondies!

Baby boom time!!!  

I have so many pregnant friends right now all due right around the same time, unfortunately I don't live by any of them so I just have to make do with virtually feeling connected to all of them and watch their bellies grow on Facebook.  I love being due around the same time as people I know just to enjoy being pregnant together, go through each stage together, etc.  It's right around the time when everyone starts finding out the gender of the babies.  One of the funnest parts of pregnancy to me.  

We didn't find out for Oliver but from the beginning my Mommy intuition told me boy and it drove me crazy more than anything to not be able to prepare and choose a name that this time around we knew we would be finding out asap!

So it seems a lot of us are having girls!!!  This is where the cutesy side of me kicks in and I can't stop looking at bows, pink, frilly, adorable-y girls only type stuff.  So far I have 8 friends expecting girls, 4 that have recently delivered girls & just 1 expecting a boy.  As well as a few more expecting to find out in the next few weeks.  So I'm not sure what's going on, maybe the world needs more sweetness or isn't afraid of the hormones but watch out cause the girls are coming! 

Yesterday another one of my friends announced that she is expecting her 3rd girl. 

When I'm pregnant with a girl I can tell because I start craving sweets immediately!  I used to kind of brush off that kind of stuff, like how can you just tell what you're having?  By random cravings and what you "think"?  But after 4 pregnancies I think I can finally say I believe Mother's Intuition is a powerful thing!  

So in honor of the girls.  Sweet things that they are and make me crave and a little pink for fun I baked up these Raspberry Blondies yesterday.  Sweet and a little tart, kinda like my Lily Pax.

These are great to make when your pregnant too, I call them a one bowl wonder.  Only one bowl for everything when baking is a rare thing.  Enjoy! 

Raspberry Blondies

1 cup AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 tbs. [1 stick] unsalted butter at room temp.

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup almonds chopped

1 cup fresh raspberries

Zest from 1 lemon

[1] In a stand mixer cream together sugar & butter.  

[2] Add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest & salt.

[3] Slowly add in baking powder and flour until combined.

[4] Fold in chopped almonds.

[5] Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, making sure some over hangs.

[6] Spread batter evenly in pan with spatula.

[7] Sprinkle berries on top.

[8] Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.

[9] Let cool and refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting into squares.

And a side note, I am officially 24 weeks today!

This pregnancy is flying by and I can't wait to meet our sweet little Tulip Bea. <3

Red Velvet Brownies & Mewithoutyou Ten Stories Review.

I love love love Red Velvet.  If I pass by a cupcake shop I have to stop and see if they have it, I try it anywhere I can find it so when I came upon this recipe on Pinterest...of course I had to try it!

I think these would be good with Cream Cheese frosting or even just a sprinkling of powdered sugar, I was just out.  I also have the awesome super power of being able to resist baked goods once I've made them.  I tried them, they were delicious.  And the kids ate the rest. True story, I swear.

They come out redder than they look in this picture and the original recipe had DOUBLE the amount of red food coloring.  If your going for that I'm sure it would be fine.  In case your wondering this is definitely NOT one of my healthier recipes, but hey, they all can't be.  Happy Baking! 

Red Velvet Brownies

adapted from www.newlyweds-blog.com

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 tubes red gel food coloring, about 1 oz.

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups AP flour

6 heaping tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tbs. milk

Before you begin:  Butter a 9x13 Cake Pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

[1] Cream butter & both sugars in a mixer.

[2] Add eggs one at a time, stopping and scraping down sides of mixer when necessary.

[3] Add vanilla, milk, and red food coloring.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl......

[4] Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

[5] Slowly add dry mixture to wet  until combined, use your spatula to make sure nothing gets stuck to the bottom.

Pour the mixture into your pan and bake for 35-50 minutes depending on how gooey you like your brownies.  Now devour! 

And now for some music.

Ten Stories- Mewithoutyou

I have recently re-discovered Mewithoutyou.  I liked them before, I LOVE them now.

The music is awesome, interesting and just something as a musician I can never really grasp at how they came about their radness.  The lead singer, Aaron Weiss, has such a unique voice and their lyrics simply blow me away.  While not really considered a Christian band it is refreshing to hear what I consider Christian music but not have to necessarily listen to Top 40 type stuff all the time, I'm not that old yet!

I have only heard 2 previous Mewithoutyou CDs, Brother, Sister and It's all crazy!  It's all false!  It's all a dream!  It's alright. [They have 4 albums]

Hearing their newest CD, which has been called a cross between the two albums I love and their earlier work I am really inclined to go buy the other 2 right now.

Musically wise I think it's comparable to the other CDs I love, this being my first CD review I'm not even quite sure how one goes about describing music in words?  You just feel it man, or other hippie references here.  Is indie a style of music or just lesser known music?  Either way I'm probably not qualified to even have an opinion on this. 

BUT I do like this CD.  One of the reasons I like Mewithoutyou so much are there lyrics, they ask real questions I think most Christians have asked at some time or another, they question God, his plans and life but somehow always come back to the fact that they trust in him. This time around it's their first concept album?  It tells the story of a traveling circus and the animals on the train. 
I'm having a hard time finding the lyrics on-line and even after more than a dozen listens I'm trying to figure this CD out, but I guess the conclusion is that this CD makes me want to do just that.  I won't stop listening anytime soon. 

One of my favorite lyrics from Mewithoutyou.

Pretty sweet tattoo design as well.

“The LORD is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Exodus 15:1-3